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I have been hammering away with some help playing ping pong with title ideas and we have nailed it, I think. It just hops out and says “awwyeahhh”. So bubye Reimarsoga. You were fun while you lasted.

Also, we’re starting the process today of getting a logo done for Akiniwazi novels. It will be used to replace this one here.

Also… dang it I am doing it again with the “also”. I have been re-calibrating and simplifying the map so I can allow you guys to see the land better and read the locations of pertinent places! Huzzah! It’s just being pokey right now, therefore it’s reintroduction is “Soon”.

Like this:

I must remind myself, yet again, that the deadlines I give myself must be multiplied by a factor of 3 in regards to time. 😦 I also must remember that I am not in a race to publish, and that I need to stop it with those deadlines. I am just so frustrated that I seem always too far away from where I want to be. Editing seems to have me in a Norman Juster-esque geographical oddity.

In preparation for the upcoming release of my book, I need to reorganize some things on my site and do other things.

First, I have noticed almost zero traffic to my Library and Studio pages, so I guess it’s time to pull them down. That doesn’t mean that the content is going to go away completely. Instead, I am going to spend some time, once I can take my focus off the editing grind, and work on finishing the timeline and atlas of Akiniwazi for future giveaways. So if you liked it in the future, but have not signed up or jumped on the mailing list, it will become available again for those who desire it again.

Second, I have been plotting book 2 in the background (Book 3 is ostensibly written, but had to be pushed back one novel because I had points and characters from the first book that originally got nothing in what had previously been written.) and have come to a major hook to string all these neat scenes in my head together. It is under the working title, for my own sanity, of “Finnsoga”, since the 3rd book is technically Reimarsoga: book 2.

Third, I will be re-titling the whole shebang once I get closer to publication and will be putting up a poll for people to vote on titles, preferably before I go to the artist for a cover, so expect that soon.

On a positive note, even if things go completely cattywampus and I can’t get book one out as soon as I hoped, there is still the chance of 2-3 books coming out in 2017. I am going to be refining my editing process as mentioned in the past, and well, live and learn I guess. I know I can get the drafts out there, but my issue has been getting edits done quickly. My hope is that what I am about to set up for book 2 could shave 2-3 months off of how long it’s taking. (remember, the original manuscript for book 1 was finished in May, but the major structural rewrite wasn’t done till Sept. Something I’ll never have to do again I hope.)

So as you can see, things are moving forward. Just not at the pace I want.

There are many places that this adventure through Akiniwazi will take us. Not all at once, mind you. To help you out with learning the names and places, here is a selection of important points, and maybe… a map to come? The setting is dominated by the large lakes and water features, so it makes sense to talk about them first.

Lake Ogimaque: Largest, coldest, deepest lake

Lake Ogimaque is the largest, deepest lake in Akiniwazi. Even the fastest steamknarr takes over 3 days to cross her from end to end. Her shores are rocky and foreboding or a mixture of ice, snow, rock, and sand in all seasons. She is not the farthest north of all the lakes, but she is the coldest. Her size and power keep her from completely freezing over, making her treacherous in all seasons.

It is said that the demon Ogimaa Nichiiwad, the Storm King’s wife, Ogimaak Mikwam, the Ice Queen, rules the lake and therefore it takes her title and her personality. It is cold, violently tempered and never gives up what she takes. She is vastly wealthy in food and mineral riches as well as fishing and hunting grounds. It is rumored that she has an Iron throne for her feet and a Copper and Gold crown for her head with a staff of Amethyst, to match her Southern and Northern shores and Western reaches. Rare ores and minerals also surround her in pockets making her a constant attraction to those who would take her bounty. It is said the water demons are very powerful here, and have been known to even radiate up and down the rivers that feed her, so that no one who can see her shores is safe.